Reaching Out

THE PARENTS OF CHRISTINA PORTER '06, who remains in a coma resulting from a February 3 skiing accident at the Dartmouth Skiway, are establishing the Christina Fund for Head Trauma. Brent Porter, a Brooklyn, New York, architect and professor, says it will raise awareness along with funds to research and treat the types of injuries suffered by his daughter: "We are focused not just on Christina but on the thousands of cases like hers."

The fund—with the help of well- known skiers such as Bode Miller—will also promote the use of ski helmets, a cause embraced by Dartmouth. As of this winter, students in College ski classes will be required to wear helmets, something Christina was not doing at the time of her accident.

Christina is now at the JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison, New Jersey, where she continues to receive Dartmouth visitors. She is in a "minimally conscious state," says her father. "At present she is slow to respond, but she enjoys art, music, movies and literature read to her as well as early stages of art expression particularly finger painting." (A bird sketched by Christina last fall while traveling with the Glee Club will serve as the fund logo; a Web site is planned.)

"Our fondest hope is that she will some day be able to return to Dartmouth to complete her education," Brent Porter says of Christina. "First she must learn to speak, then sing, then, we hope, walk."

Anyone interested in the fund or in connecting the Porters with head trauma resources may contact them at 166 James Place, Brooklyn, NY 11238. "We are seeking enlightened leads from research to treatment options," says Brent Porter.